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Congressional Black Caucus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the African American members of the Congress of the United States. Membership is exclusive to African Americans[1] and its chair in the 110th Congress is Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan.
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The Caucus was founded on February 2, 1970, by a group of black members of the House of Representatives, including Shirley Chisholm of New York, Louis Stokes of Ohio and William L. Clay of Missouri. Blacks had begun to enter the House in increasing numbers during the 1960s, and the formation of the Caucus reflected their need for a formal organization. Originally called a "Democratic Select Committee," it was named the Congressional Black Caucus in February 1971 on the motion of Charles B. Rangel of New York.
Founding members were Shirley Chisholm, William L. Clay Sr., George W. Collins, John Conyers, Ronald Dellums, Augustus F. Hawkins, Ralph Metcalfe, Parren Mitchell, Robert Nix, Charles Rangel, Louis Stokes, and Washington D.C. Delegate Walter Fauntroy. The first chairman Charles Diggs, from 1969 to 1971, landed on the Master list of Nixon political opponents for his chairmanship.
In late 1994, after Republicans attained a majority in the House, they announced plans to rescind funding for 28 "legislative service organizations" which received taxpayer funding and occupied offices at the Capitol, including the CBC. Then-chairman Kweisi Mfume protested the decision, which never went through.[2]
On May 6, 2006, Gwen Moore and eight fellow members of the Caucus were arrested and ticketed for unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct after they stepped onto the grounds of the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan to call attention to the ongoing Darfur conflict in Sudan. Moore said that the group expected ex ante to be arrested but that they were pleased to participate in a "peaceful act of civil disobedience".[3]
On May 24, 2006, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi publicly requested Caucus member William J. Jefferson's immediate resignation from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, but he declined to step down.[4] Although Mel Watt, the chair of the Caucus, declared the strong support of the Caucus for Jefferson, it has since been reported that two prominent members of the caucus, John Lewis (D-GA) and Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), have played a major role in the campaign to force Jefferson to step down.[5]
On 15 June 2006, House Democrats voted to strip Jefferson of his committee assignment while the federal bribery investigation continued. Despite claims of the Congressional Black Caucus that Jefferson was being treated unfairly, the vote passed 99-58.[6] In June 2007, Jefferson was indicted on charges of corruption.
The Caucus describes its goals as "positively influencing the course of events pertinent to African-Americans and others of similar experience and situation," and "achieving greater equity for persons of African descent in the design and content of domestic and international programs and services."
The CBC encapsulates these goals in the following priorities: Closing the achievement and opportunity gaps in education, assuring quality health care for every American, focusing on employment and economic security, ensuring justice for all, retirement security for all Americans, and increasing equity in foreign policy.[7]
Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas has said:
"The Congressional Black Caucus is one of the world's most esteemed bodies, with a history of positive activism unparalleled in our nation's history. Whether the issue is popular or unpopular, simple or complex, the CBC has fought for thirty years to protect the fundamentals of democracy. Its impact is recognized throughout the world. The Congressional Black Caucus is probably the closest group of legislators on the Hill. We work together almost incessantly, we are friends and, more importantly, a family of freedom fighters. Our diversity makes us stronger, and the expertise of all of our members has helped us be effective beyond our numbers."
The Caucus is officially non-partisan, but in practice it has been closely identified with the Democratic Party, and tends to function as a lobbying group within the wider Democratic Party. Only three black Republicans have been elected to Congress since the Caucus was founded: Senator Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts, Representatives Gary Franks of Connecticut and J. C. Watts of Oklahoma and Delegate Melvin H. Evans of the U.S. Virgin Islands, who became the first black member of Congress elected not to join the group because of its exclusive Democratic affiliation and goals.[8]
The Caucus has grown steadily as more black members have been elected. In 1969 the Caucus had nine members. As of 2007 it had 43 members, including two who are non-voting members of the House, representing the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Currently, Illinois Senator Barack Obama is the only black member of the U.S. Senate.
In 2004, Green Party presidential candidate and consumer activist Ralph Nader attended a meeting with the Caucus, where he says that Congressman Mel Watt, later the chair of the Caucus, twice uttered an "obscene racial epithet" towards him; Watt subsequently did not offer an apology. Nader wrote to the Caucus afterwards:
"Instead, exclamations at the meeting... end[ed] with the obscene racist epithet repeated twice by Yale Law School alumnus Congressman Melvin Watt of North Carolina. One member of your Caucus called to apologize for the crudity of some of the members. I had expected an expression of regret or apology from Congressman Watt in the subsequent days after he had cooled down. After all there was absolutely no vocal or verbal provocation from me or from my associates, including Peter Miguel Camejo, to warrant such an outburst. In all my years of struggling for justice, especially for the deprived and downtrodden, has any legislator--white or black--used such language? I do not like double standards, especially since our premise for interactions must be equality of respect that has no room, as I responded to Mr. Watt, for playing the race card. Therefore, just as African-Americans demanded an apology from Agriculture Secretary Earl Butts and Senator Trent Lott--prior to their resignation and demotion respectively--for their racist remarks, I expect that you and others in the Caucus will exert your moral persuasion and request an apology from Congressman Watt. Please consider this also my request for such an expression--a copy of which is being forwarded directly to Mr. Watt's office."[9]
Over the years, the question has arisen, "Does the Caucus allow only black members?" Pete Stark, D-Calif., who is white, tried and failed to join in 1975. In January 2007, it was reported that white members of Congress were not welcome to join the CBC.[10] Freshman Rep. Stephen I. Cohen, D-Tennessee, who is white, pledged to apply for membership during his election campaign to represent his constituents, who were 60% black. It was reported that although the bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership, former and current members of the Caucus agreed that the group should remain "exclusively black." Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., the son of Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, is quoted as saying, "Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer. He's white and the Caucus is black. It's time to move on. We have racial policies to pursue and we are pursuing them, as Mr. Cohen has learned. It's an unwritten rule. It's understood." In response to the decision, Rep. Cohen stated, "It's their caucus and they do things their way. You don't force your way in."
Rep. Clay issued an official statement from his office in reply to Rep. Cohen's complaint:
"Quite simply, Rep. Cohen will have to accept what the rest of the country will have to accept - there has been an unofficial Congressional White Caucus for over 200 years, and now it's our turn to say who can join 'the club.' He does not, and cannot, meet the membership criteria, unless he can change his skin color. Primarily, we are concerned with the needs and concerns of the black population, and we will not allow white America to infringe on those objectives."
- ^ Hearn, Josephine. "Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed", Politico.com, January 23, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ "G.O.P. to Cut Caucus Funds", Time Magazine, December 19, 1994. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ [1]
- ^ chron.com article.
- ^ Edney, Hazel Trice. "Some CBC Members Secretly Trying to Oust Jefferson from Committee Post", Milwaukee Courier, 2006-06-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
- ^ MSNBC, "House lawmakers strip Jefferson of panel seat", June 16, 2006. Retrieved Dec. 9, 2006.
- ^ Priorities detailed
- ^ Doherty, Carroll J.. "GOP Initiatives Hamper Efforts To Reach Out To Minority Groups", CNN, March 22, 1998. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ Ralph Nader's letter
- ^ Hearn, Josephine. "Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed", Politico.com, January 23, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- Congressional Black Caucus website
- Congressional Black Caucus Political Education & Leadership Institute
- Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
- Avoice: African American Voices in Congress (Congressional Black Caucus online archive)
- Congressional Black Caucus Holds Hearings On Police Brutality in Los Angeles
- Counterpunch Article: Corporate Black Caucus?
- Black Commentator: How to Fix the fractured Black Caucus
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| Diggs • Stokes • Rangel • Burke • Mitchell • Collins • Fauntroy • Dixon • Leland • Dymally • Dellums • Towns • Mfume • Payne • Waters • Clyburn • Johnson • Cummings • Watt • Kilpatrick |  |